Following a succession of unpleasant toasters (including the cheap Cuisinart junk recommended by Wirecutter and the expensive Breville junk recommended by Consumer Reports) I was about to get the BIFL but expensive Dualit Classic. But now I see Kasey Hou's Repairable Flatpack toaster and want that instead.
The repairable flatpack toaster project is about designing a toaster that can be assembled and repaired by users. The purpose of the project is using the toaster as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of DIY assemblable and repairable consumer products. It also serves the purpose to challenge the way how products are designed and manufactured in general.
The toaster itself can be flatpacked in a box with all the components in there. Users can assemble the toaster from scratch and repair the toaster when it breaks. The idea is to extend the lifespan of the toaster through the concept of repair and circular economy. Users learn the mechanism and the structure of the toaster during the process of assembly and would therefore feel more confident to repair the toaster by themselves.
It appears to be a prototype only and not for sale at any price.
Project Farm's roundup of slot toasters, you may recall, basically made the case that the design was fundamentally bad and you should be using a toaster oven. Ones as small as a slot toaster are expensive, sadly, and even a FlashXPress is too big for my tiny kitchen counter.
Previously:
• The man who made his own toaster
• Making a toaster from scratch, mining the raw materials
• Understanding the environmental impact of your toaster
• Best podcast episode ever – Mystery Show Case #3: Belt Buckle
